


Inarrêtable

by Mishirure



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A long ass one shot, Adrien's POV, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, I'm posting this at 3 am, Identity Reveal, Love Confessions, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pre-Relationship, Realizations, Romance, This took me a week to write, but I love him, especially adrien, god these two are idiots, my oblivious son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 02:26:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14632164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mishirure/pseuds/Mishirure
Summary: Adrien is still holding out for Ladybug, but finds contentment in spending time with Marinette as Chat Noir, even going so far as offering her advice about her love life. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s pushing both his Lady and his Princess into the arms of another man and discovers his feelings a little too late.





	Inarrêtable

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: This fic has officially become the most read out of all my works. Thank you all so much for the love, guys. <3
> 
> I tried to add a Ladrien moment in this, but it didn't fit, I'm sorry Ladrien fans! D:
> 
> I spent a lot of late nights writing this... It was going to be a longer fic, but I just had all these little drabbles strewn all over the place, so I decided to compile them all into one very long thing.
> 
> This thing is nearly 50 pages, omg. 
> 
> I decided that Adrien and Kagami were super good bros. I felt she had a lot of potential in her debut episode, and I wanted to mess with that a little bit. Also, Adrien needs someone who doesn't treat him like a fragile piece of glass and actually calls him out on shit.
> 
> I hope this isn't too out of character...
> 
> Feel free to read this while listening to the "In the Rain" song. It works, promise.

To say that this was one of the worst days of his life would be an understatement.

Despite the pounding music around him, the bodies dancing, and watching his best friend absolutely _kill it_ with his DJ skills, Adrien was thoroughly miserable as he watched the two dark-haired figures on the other side of the room. A strange mix of feelings twisted in his stomach, a combination of jealousy and longing and shame, as he watched the taller of the two stroke his hand down the arm of the smaller figure, and he had to force himself to look away. It had been a few months since he’d figured out he had a crush on Marinette, but by the time he had really admitted it to himself, she had already started dating Luka. To make matters worse, Adrien had effectively been the reason he and Marinette weren’t currently on speaking terms due to his inability to keep his emotions in check.

If anyone had told him going to school would be this way, maybe he wouldn’t have considered going in the first place.

They were at a Battle of the Bands competition, and this round was between Nino and Luka’s band, the one Adrien had previously been a part of. Of course, that had quickly changed after the events that had transpired the month before. Adrien felt himself flush as he thought back to that night, the feeling of shame growing stronger, but he pushed it aside as Nino’s set came to an end, and he applauded politely as his friend left the stage. Unable to keep his eyes away from the two figures in the corner, he glanced over as Luka leaned down and pressed a kiss to Marinette’s cheek, causing her to blush and giggle softly as he whispered something in her ear. Adrien felt a little sick and didn’t join in the applause out of spite as Luka and his band made their way onto the stage. Instead, he kept to the side of the room and ducked out before he could be seen, wanting to go to the roof to get some air. As he made his way to the elevator, he thought back to the day that had set his whole life into a spiralling mess, and mentally cursed himself.

* * *

 

**_Four Months Earlier:_ **

It was a few days after the events of his bodyguard being akumatized. Adrien had gotten up for school, going through his usual routine of getting ready, and absently decided to check his computer while he brushed his teeth. After his usual perusing of the LadyBlog, he checked his preferred Fashion Blog news site, something his father usually had him do so he could stay up to date on the latest trends and news within the industry. What he saw on the front page made him choke on his toothbrush, and he had to run to the bathroom to spit, hastily grabbing a towel to wipe his face as he ran back to his computer to make sure what he was seeing was correct. The headlining photo on the front page of the blog was a picture of him and Marinette in the fountain with the caption: 

**_“Adrien Agreste’s Secret Lover! All the details here!”_ **

His eyes were wide as he scanned the article, noting that whoever wrote the post had somehow managed to figure out Marinette’s name and the fact that they went to the same school. The worst part, however, was the comments at the bottom of the article, _all_ of them from jealous fangirls bashing Marinette with some of the most hateful, hurtful comments he’d ever seen. His fierce protectiveness and pride in his friends took over, and Adrien found himself commenting on the article himself, correcting the mistake, and confirming that, “Marinette is an amazing friend, but we’re not dating.”

He knew his fangirls could be a _lot_ to handle, and they would have no issues in completely defaming Marinette at any opportunity they got if they believed he was dating her. Marinette was so kind and sweet; she didn’t deserve the harsh, completely untrue things people were making up about her just because they were jealous. In order to protect her and to keep rabid fangirls from finding where she lived and egging her house, or worse, coming to the school and attacking her, he had to put this rumour to rest. Satisfied with his damage control, he grabbed his school bag and headed down the stairs so he could be on his way to school.

* * *

 

As the car pulled up to the front of the school, he noticed a familiar pair of dark pigtails making their way up the front steps with Alya, and he realized that Marinette had actually managed to make it to school on time today. He was relieved; now he’d have a chance to warn her about the article before class. He was already pulling off his seatbelt just as the car rolled to a stop, and he said a quick goodbye to Nathalie and Gorilla before he climbed out of the car.

“Hey, Marinette!” Adrien called out, and she and Alya turned at the sound of his voice. He quickly closed the car door and hurried to catch up with them. “Hey, Alya! Wait up!”

“Hey, Adrien,” Alya said with a friendly wave. 

“Oh, Adrien!” Marinette said shyly. “Um… hi!”

“What did you guys think of the music festival?” Adrien asked, thinking back to the weekend where he’d had a chance to play in a band with his friends. “You guys looked like you were having fun.”

“It was a lot of fun,” Alya said, playfully nudging Marinette in the side. “Right Marinette?”

“Oh, yeah!” Marinette tittered. “You were great! I mean, it were great, I mean was, a-and you sounded great too! I didn’t know you could play the keyboard so well!”

Adrien chuckled. It was kind of cute how flustered Marinette could get. “Thanks! I usually play classical, but it was fun trying out a different style.”

“Well, it was... great!” Marinette said brightly.

“Oh, look, there’s Juleka and Rose,” Alya said suddenly, noticing their classmates. “I’m going to go say hi before class; meet up with you guys soon!”

“Okay,” Adrien said, quirking a brow slightly but he offered a friendly wave. “See you later!”

“A-Alya, wait!” Marinette called out but when she made no move to come back, she turned to Adrien and offered him a kind of sheepish smile. 

“So, listen,” Adrien said in what he hoped was a casual voice, but he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I realized I didn’t even text you to see if you were okay after the other day… I got so wrapped up in what happened, but I’m glad to see you’re alright. Sorry for kind of... ditching you at the movie theatre over the weekend...”

Marinette blinked. “Huh?”

“You know, after the whole ‘bodyguard snatching me through a hole in the ceiling’ thing?”

“Oh! Right! I’m okay!” She suddenly gasped, becoming very animated. “Are YOU okay? I saw some of the footage; you were falling from that building, and Ladybug managed to grab you, so you were safe, but I wasn’t sure what else had happened to you afterwards! I’m so sorry!”

“No, no, it’s okay Marinette,” Adrien said with a laugh, waving away her concern. “Thanks for worrying about me. I actually wanted to talk to you about that day if you don’t mind; do you have a spare minute?”

“O-oh!” Marinette said, clearly surprised, but she smiled brightly. “Yeah! Sure!”

“Great,” Adrien was relieved. “I just wanted to let you know that you won’t have to worry about that silly rumour bothering you.”

Marinette blinked. “What rumour?”

“All those photos people took thinking you were my girlfriend,” Adrien clarified sheepishly. “I made sure to set the record straight.”

“Uh…” Marinette said slowly. “What do you mean?”

“You were kind enough to help me out when I was being chased by all of those crazed fans and endured running around the city with me,” Adrien continued. “I figured I’d try and take some of the pressure off of you. Those rumours were starting to go a little viral online this morning, and they were starting to attract the wrath of some fangirls… I didn’t want them bothering you and coming after you for it, so I made sure to clear it up.”

“Oh,” Marinette said simply. “Right. Um... thanks.”

“Despite the craziness, though,” Adrien said, resting a hand on her shoulder with a smile. “I had a really fun time hanging out with you, Marinette. You’re a great listener; thank you for being such an amazing friend.”

“Of course,” She gave him a bright smile. “It was no problem, really.”

The bell sounded then, and Adrien made a move to head to class.

“We should probably get going,” he said. “But we should definitely try and hang out again sometime! Maybe actually finish the movie next time around, yeah?”

“Y-yeah, of course,” Marinette said as he started to head up the stairs to class, but she didn’t follow. He paused, giving her a quizzical look as she twiddled her fingers awkwardly and he gestured up the stairs.

“You coming?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a second,” She said brightly. “You go on ahead.”

He realized halfway through class that Marinette hadn’t actually come up to take her usual spot behind him, and he suddenly felt guilty for not noticing sooner. He glanced at Alya while Miss Bustier had her back turned to them, and he nodded to Marinette’s seat, but Alya simply shook her head and shrugged. He spent the rest of the class distracted by the fact that the usual presence of his classmate wasn’t there, and it wasn’t until the end of class that Alya’s phone beeped with a text message from Marinette.

“Oh,” Alya said, frowning slightly as she read the text. Adrien looked at her expectantly. “I guess she went home sick?”

“What?” Adrien asked, concerned. “She seemed fine this morning…”

“She said she just suddenly felt lightheaded and nauseous, so she decided to go home,” Alya shrugged. “I’ll check in on her at lunch to make sure she’s okay.”

Alya had gone to check in on Marinette during lunch hour, like she’d promised, but came back early with no news. She had been sleeping, according to her parents, but they suggested that Alya call her later. Adrien simply nodded, asking Alya to tell Marinette that they all hoped she was okay, but he made up his mind that he would pay her a visit later anyway but as Chat Noir. For whatever reason, Marinette always seemed to be a little more relaxed around his masked alter ego; plus, he hoped that being visited by a superhero would make her feel a little better.

By the time night had fallen over Paris, the city’s resident black cat came out to prowl. He relished in the sounds of the night, feeling the breeze through his hair and jumping from rooftop to rooftop as he made his way towards Marinette’s house. He was thinking of reasons as to why he should drop in on her; he couldn’t very well say he knew she wasn’t feeling well, it would be too obvious. Eventually, he settled on the idea of checking in on her after the events of Glaciator, figuring that would be a good segue into starting up a conversation.

By the time he neared the bakery, he was surprised to find Marinette already sitting outside on her balcony, curled up under a blanket on her chair. In her hands, she held an untouched cup of tea that was no longer steaming, and she simply sat and gazed out at the Parisian skyline, not really seeing it. Adrien could tell there was something bothering her, but he kept his tone happy and light as he dropped down on her chimney.

“Evening, Princess,” he called easily, and Marinette glanced at him in surprise for a second before she offered him a small smile he could tell was forced.

“Oh,” she said. “Hi, Chat Noir.”

Guess he wouldn’t have to try and pry for a reason to come talk to her after all, he mused.

“Hey,” he said softly, hopping down onto her balcony to crouch beside her. “Are you okay?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I’m fine.”

Adrien tilted his head to the side, knowing she wasn’t being entirely honest. “Are you sure?” He reached out and gently touched his gloved hand against her forehead, mindful of his claws. “You look a little pale. You’re not sick or anything, are you?”

“No,” she said, her voice distant. “I’ll be okay, Chat. Don’t you have a patrol or anything to do?”

“Not really,” Adrien answered with a shrug of his shoulders. “Actually, I came by to check up on you.”

“Me?” Marinette asked, turning to look at him. “Why?”

“Well, last time I was here was the night you were being sought after by Glaciator,” he said easily, recalling their conversation. “You’d mentioned that night you’d had your heart broken. I just wanted to make sure you were doing better.”

“Oh,” Marinette’s voice was small. “Yeah… I mean, it’s… you know…”

As she trailed off, not really finishing her sentence. Adrien frowned and searched her face for a sign of… anything. He was hoping he’d be able to figure out what was bothering her, to find some way to fix it the same way Marinette went out of her way to fix things for everyone. What surprised him was when tears suddenly rolled down Marinette’s cheek and she let out a shuddering sob.

“P-Princess?” He said in alarm, his hands fluttering around her. He wanted to touch her, but he wasn’t really sure what to do, and he panicked, even more, when Marinette tucked in on herself, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she jammed her eyes closed against the onslaught of tears. “Marinette, what’s wrong?”

“It’s so dumb…” she said, her voice thick with tears. “It doesn’t matter…”

“Hey, hey, listen to me,” he said, finally allowing his arm to encircle her shoulders as he tried to coax her to look at him. “Hey… it _does_ matter… what’s wrong, Marinette? Talk to me.”

Marinette took a few deep, shuttering breaths to calm herself, sniffing as she wiped her nose on the corner of the blanket, but the tears kept coming as she thought about what she was going to say.

“The boy I like doesn’t like me back,” she said miserably. 

Adrien’s felt his heart squeeze for her. Who wouldn’t like Marinette? She was the kindest person he knew. “How do you know?”

“He said so today,” Marinette sniffed. “Not in so many words, but... he said that I’m a really great friend… and that’s all.”

She hiccuped and sniffed as she started to cry again, and Adrien froze as she leaned into his shoulder searching for comfort.

“I just really wanted him to love me…” she whispered before dissolving into sobs.

Adrien didn’t know what he could say to make her feel better. She was so distraught; this was the saddest he had ever seen Marinette in all the time he’d known her. He knew words probably wouldn’t help, so instead, he scooped her up into his arms, adjusting himself on the chair and coaxed her into resting against his chest. He was going to do everything in his power to make her smile again; as far as he knew, Marinette had never been akumatized, and he wasn’t about let that happen anytime soon.

“It’s okay, Princess,” he soothed in a soft voice, rubbing her shuddering back. “It’s okay… deep breaths. I’m here.”

He simply sat there, whispering soothing words into her ear as she cried into his shoulder, his heart breaking for the sweet girl with the broken heart.

* * *

**_Two Weeks Later_ **

After seeing how fragile Marinette was on her balcony, Adrien went out of his way to visit her as Chat Noir as often as he dared without seeming suspicious. It was really his only option these days since Marinette had thrown herself into a variety of activities at school that made her too busy to talk to her as Adrien, so visiting her as Chat Noir would have to do. As such, he enjoyed her company, and she seemed to enjoy his as well. As far as he knew, she hadn’t told anyone about her emotional ‘breakdown’ (her words), not even her best friend, and Adrien couldn’t deny that he felt a little special knowing he was the only one Marinette decided to confide in.

During this time, he also noticed a bit of a change in Ladybug; she had seemed pretty down in the dumps for a bit there, but every time he asked her about it, she simply shrugged it off and said it was nothing. She gradually began to brighten up as the days went by as well, and he thought he noticed her looking at him more often.

“She was just… looking at me, Plagg,” Adrien said dreamily as he sprawled on his bed. “I mean, she’s looked at me before, but this was… this was different.”

“You’re probably just imagining things,” Plagg said flippantly around a mouthful of camembert.

“Gee, _thanks_ ,” Adrien answered flatly, rolling his eyes. 

However, he found out he _wasn’t_ imagining things; after an Akuma battle one night, he was taken aback when Ladybug looked him dead in the eye, that same unreadable expression he thought he’d been seeing over the last couple of weeks on her face, and she gave him a heartfelt ‘thank you’ instead of their usual fist bump.

“What for?” He asked, blinking.

“For always being there and looking out for me,” Ladybug answered, giving him a warm and grateful smile that made his heart flutter. “I just want you to know how much I appreciate you, Chat Noir; you really do mean the world to me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Adrien couldn’t contain the smile that spread across his face as he extended his hand for a fist bump. “I’m always happy to be of service, My Lady. We’re a team after all, aren’t we?”

Ladybug grinned and connected her fist to his.

“Unstoppable.”

* * *

 

**_A Month Later_ **

“So… what do you know about Marinette?”

The question caught Adrien by surprise, and he stopped running his fingers over the keys of the keyboard to fix Luka with a confused expression. Band practice hadn’t started yet, so he and the older boy decided to warm up before they got into their jam session, waiting for their friends to show up.

“Well,” Adrien said thoughtfully, thinking about his classmate. “She’s kind and she always means well. She goes out of her way to help others, and she’s really artistic; you should see some of the designs she’s done! I can tell she’s going to be an amazing fashion designer someday. She’s a really good baker, too; you should taste the macarons she makes, they’re the best!”

“She sounds super cool,” Luka said as he absently strummed a little tune on his guitar. “Juleka’s always talking about how nice she is; it sounds like she’s pretty popular.”

“I would say that she’s one of the most popular girls in our class,” Adrien replied. “Everyone really likes her; it’d be hard not to.”

“Hmm…” Luka hummed to himself, plucking out a few notes on his guitar before he shot Adrien a grin. “Thanks for telling me about her, dude; she sounds amazing.”

Adrien smiled. “She really is.”

* * *

 

**_4 Days Later_ **

It had become a sort of ritual over the past month. Once a week, usually on a Tuesday, Adrien would suit up and go visit Marinette on her balcony. Eventually, it evolved into twice a week, and sometimes as often as three. As he started to make it a regular thing, she started to bring up treats from the bakery that would otherwise be thrown away at the end of the day, and he was more than delighted to indulge in the baked goods that she offered him, some of which she said she’d baked herself. He sat on her balcony with her sitting on her knees beside him, and he was busy enjoying a pistachio macaron, the top dusted with a little bit of confectioners sugar when she broached the topic.

“So…” Marinette said slowly, lightly tapping her fingers together between her knees. “I… got asked out on a date today.”

He paused, the remaining half of the macaron halfway to his mouth when he glanced over at her, noting her flushed expression. She looked nervous and kept her eyes trained on the ground, anxiously nibbling the inside of her cheek. Adrien lowered the macaron from his mouth and gave her a smile.

“That’s good, isn’t it?” He said, leaning back on his hand. “Did the guy who broke your heart finally come to his senses?”

“No, actually, it was… someone else,” she said, glancing up at him, and Adrien was sure that his cat ears perked with curiosity. “I only met him recently, and he’s a little older, but… he made me feel a little bit better after I was sad, and he’s nice enough…”

“Do you like him?” Adrien asked.

Marinette looked at him in surprise, thinking about it, before she smiled softly.

“I do,” she said. “I mean, I don’t know him very well, but… I do like him. I just don’t think I like him as much as… well, the guy who...”

She trailed off. Adrien adjusted himself so he sat on his knees facing her, and he ducked his head slightly to try and meet her gaze.

“Anyone who isn’t able to see how incredible you are is an idiot, Marinette,” he said honestly. “You deserve to have someone care about you, and if Mr Heartbreaker doesn’t see that, then maybe this new guy will. After all, he _did_ ask you out already. You said yes, right?”

Marinette blushed. “I… told him I had to think about it…”

“What?” Adrien said, taken aback. “Why?”

“Well…” Marinette rubbed her arm a little awkwardly, her face getting even redder. “I wanted to… ask your opinion first.”

Adrien blinked. “Mine?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, glancing down at the ground again. She started babbling. “I mean, you’re the only one who really knows just how upset I was, and you know how torn up I was - am - about the boy I like that doesn’t like me the same way, and you’ve been coming around so often to check up on me and we’ve talked it so often that I know you can give really good advice and well… I just wanted to know what you thought.”

Adrien blinked again as he thought about her words before he gave her a smile. It warmed him to the core to know that Marinette trusted him so much and that she valued his opinion. The fact that she was seeking this kind advice from him and not Alya puzzled him slightly, but he wasn’t about to question it; it was nice to know he could positively impact her life one way or another.

“I think you should go for it,” he said, leaning back on his hands again.

“Really?” Marinette asked tentatively.

“Why not?” Adrien said, snatching the last part of the macaron he’d left untouched from earlier. “Who knows? This new guy may be the guy of your dreams; the perfect boyfriend.”

“Maybe,” Marinette said softly as a smile formed on her face. She offered him a grateful grin. “Thanks for your help, Chat Noir.”

“Anytime, Princess,” he winked as he tossed the rest of the macaroon into his mouth.

* * *

 

A few days later (two, to be precise), Adrien found himself on Marinette’s balcony again, joining her as she sat in her chair and sketched out a new design.

“It just occurred to me that you didn’t tell me what you’d be doing for your date,” he said casually, finding a spot on the balcony to sit down.

Marinette didn’t look up from her sketchpad, but he saw a smirk playing on the corner of her lips. “Why do you want to know?”

“I’m just curious,” Adrien shrugged. “I’ve never really been on a date before, so I’m not a hundred per cent sure what people _do_ on dates.”

“You’ve never been on a date?” Marinette asked, finally looking at him in surprise.

“Have _you_?” He asked with a wry smile. Marinette simply blushed in response and turned back to her design.

“We’re going to a Jagged Stone concert,” she said.

“That sounds like fun!” Adrien said, almost a little envious. “I love Jagged Stone; he’s my favourite singer.”

“Mine, too,” Marinette said with a smile.

“So, you said yes, then,” Adrien smirked as he watched Marinette flush again.

“Yes, I said yes,” she finally managed.

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

“You don’t know him, Chat.”

“How do you know?” He said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, his chin cupped in his hands. “I’m a pretty popular guy, you know.”

“I just know you wouldn’t know him,” Marinette said simply.

Adrien sighed as he leaned back on his arms. “Oh well; I’m sure I’ll get wind of it eventually. He’s not taller than me, is he?”

Marinette couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why would that matter?”

“I just like to know I’m tall,” Adrien said with his signature Chat Noir grin.

Marinette laughed. “Well, you’re taller than me, so consider that a win.”

“And why is that?”

“I like tall guys,” she said easily, but then suddenly flushed to the roots of her hair. “I-I mean, _girls_ like tall guys! Most girls! B-b-but short guys are good, too! I just happen to… prefer tall guys, and Lu-I mean-the guy I’m going to the concert with is also tall! So… yeah!”

Adrien laughed. “I’m just teasing you, Marinette; it’s okay, I understand.”

He stretched his legs out in front of him lazily, still leaning back on his hands, and met her gaze, offering her a playful wink.

“But who knows? Maybe if he strikes out, _I_ could take you on a date.”

The words were out of his mouth before he even really thought about it, but his sudden mortification, thankfully, went unnoticed as Marinette burst into giggles, her own embarrassment gone.

“ _Sure_ , Chat Noir,” she said easily, flicking his bell. “Whatever you say.”

* * *

 

It didn’t take Adrien long to figure out who had asked Marinette on a date. He was going to swing by on Saturday night to ask how it went, but a day of back to back photo shoots had him beat and he crashed early, sleeping through most of Sunday. By the time Monday rolled around, he saw her in the courtyard at school talking to a familiar boy with blue hair. At first, he was confused about why Luka was talking to Marinette off in the corner, but when he saw the older boy pull her into a warm hug, he put two and two together. Marinette _had_ told him that she’d been invited to a concert; it made sense that Luka would be the one to invite her and he could only assume the date went well, judging by the apparent closeness. Part of him was glad it wasn’t a random guy who’d asked Marinette out; at least he knew Luka and could vouch for him. 

It wasn’t until he was in class, listening to Marinette speak in hushed, excited tones to Alya about her weekend that he noticed the strange uneasy feeling in his stomach for a reason he couldn’t place.

* * *

 

**_A Few Days Later_ **

Adrien was a little distracted at band practice that day. For some reason, he couldn’t make his fingers cooperate with his brain and the old keyboard, and after his fifth attempt at a failed keyboard rift, he pressed all of his fingers against the keys at once, the dissonance of the notes sounding his frustration.

“Sorry, guys,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m having a hard time focusing today.”

“Don’t worry about it, Adrien,” Rose said sweetly. “Maybe we should call it for tonight?”

“Yeah, my drumming arm is getting tired,” Ivan said, stretching his shoulder.

“Same time next week?” Juleka asked as she put her guitar away.

“Yeah,” Adrien said distractedly as his friends stored their instruments and equipment, methodically packing away the keyboard carefully into its case. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luka messing with the strings of his guitar, and Adrien couldn’t stop the words that seemed to tumble out of his traitorous mouth.

“So, Luka,” he said in what he hoped was a casual manner. “I heard you asked Marinette to the Jagged Stone concert.”

Luka glanced up at the sound of the girl’s name and he smiled. “Yeah; we had an awesome time. I knew she was cool before, but you were right, Adrien; she’s amazing.”

Adrien gave a noncommittal hum of agreement as he folded up the keyboard stand. Of course, he knew Marinette was amazing; he probably spent the most time with her out of anyone. 

“I think I’m going to ask her out again,” Luka said.

Adrien snapped the closures on the keyboard case a little louder than he intended but kept his face neutral. Again, he spoke without really thinking about it.

“You should,” he said, offering Luka a smile. “I think she’d say yes.”

* * *

 

**_Two Weeks Later_ **

It was a slow patrol night. Adrien sat on the top of the Arc de Triomphe, his legs dangling over the edge with Ladybug at his side. They sat in comfortable silence, grateful for a quiet night from Akuma. The city seemed to be enjoying the quiet, as well; everything seemed peaceful as they gazed down at the Champs-Élysées, watching the cars go by and the people strolling leisurely in the night.

“It’s not often we have a chance to just… sit like this,” Ladybug mused softly, her legs folded neatly to the side.

“You’re right,” Adrien replied, shooting her a playful smile. “You know… if you’d let me take you out on a date, we could have more opportunities like this.”

Ladybug’s smile instantly dropped from her face and she looked down at her lap a little guiltily. Adrien was so attuned to her that he noticed the shift in emotion instantly, worried he’d overstepped a boundary. He knew she was interested in someone else if their conversation after the events of Glaciator were anything to go by, and though he _did_ value her friendship, he just couldn’t help himself; flirting just came naturally as Chat Noir, especially when it came to her.

“Chat Noir, listen…” Ladybug said softly. Her fingers twisted nervously in her lap as she thought about her words. “I’m, um… I’ve actually recently started… seeing someone. In my civilian life.”

He hadn’t expected that reveal to be so jarring. He felt his chest tighten, a strange warmth spreading throughout his body that quickly turned cold, leaving him empty.

“O-oh,” he said, feeling as if the wind had been thoroughly knocked from his sails, but he couldn’t stop the question from tumbling out of his mouth. “Is it… the same boy you said you liked before? After Glaciator?”

He was a glutton for punishment, it seemed…

Ladybug flushed slightly but shook her head. “No, it’s… someone else.”

Someone that wasn’t him…

“… I see.”

“It’s new and a little unsure,” Ladybug started to ramble. “But it feels… comfortable? I don’t know; I guess it’s just… what I need right now.”

“Right,” he said, not really aware that he was saying it. He heard Ladybug sigh sadly.

“I’m sorry, Chat Noir…”

“For what?” He asked.

“Well, I…” she hesitated. “I know that… you have feelings for me, and… I never wanted to hurt you, ever. I just feel like I have, and—”

“Don’t worry about it, Ladybug,” he said evenly. “I’ve actually had my eye on someone else for the past little while, as well.”

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them (that seemed to be happening a lot lately), and he couldn’t figure out if he was lying or telling the truth. The only person who came immediately to mind was Marinette, but that was silly; she was just a friend.

“Really?” Ladybug blinked in surprise.

“Yeah,” he said, surprised at how easily it slipped out of him. “She’s really nice.”

“Oh,” Ladybug said simply. She paused for a moment before speaking again. “Well… that’s good.”

“Yeah,” he agreed absently. He then got to his feet. “It’s getting late, My Lady; I should probably head home.”

“Right,” Ladybug said, getting to her feet as well, still nervously twiddling her fingers. The action seemed oddly familiar, even though he’d seen her do it many times before. “Me, too.”

“Until next time, Ladybug,” he said, about to extend his baton to vault off into the night, but Ladybug suddenly caught his arm before he could leave.

“Are we going to be okay, _Minou_?” She asked.

Her bluebell eyes were evident with worry, and they searched his for any sign of _wrongness_ between them as if she were desperate to make sure that, despite this bump, the shake-up in their usual routine, that they were still going to be there for each other. Ignoring the tightness in his chest, the sadness of knowing that she’d managed to slip out of his grasp by some unknown romantic rival, he gave her a reassuring smile.

“We’re a team, aren’t we?” He asked, as always. 

“Unstoppable,” she replied, as always.

For some reason, he thought that it felt slightly hollow this time around.

* * *

 

Hours later, he hadn’t found the heart to go home. He was too riled up, to full of pent-up energy and frustration to want to sit in his vast, lonely room for the rest of the night. He knew he should be sleeping, getting a good night’s rest for class tomorrow morning, but he was too wired. He simply travelled around the rooftops, wandering aimlessly.

His aimless wandering led him to Marinette.

He was surprised to find her bedroom light on when he got there, but he didn’t think she’d mind the late night visit. He hovered outside her window, peering in, and saw her finishing some last minute homework at her desk. Not knowing how else to get her attention, he knocked on the window, and Marinette startled at the sound, fumbling with her pen before she faced the window, surprised to see him. She gave him a quizzical look through the glass, checking the time on her phone before she sighed and pointed up, signalling for him to meet her on the balcony. He gave her a grateful smile and took up a spot on the railing to gaze out over the city, waiting for her.

“Is everything okay, Chat Noir?” Marinette’s soft voice reached his ears a few moments later, and he turned to see her with two steaming mugs of what smelled like hot chocolate. She handed one to him and he took it gratefully.

“Why wouldn’t it be, Princess?” He asked, casually taking a sip of the warm drink. To him, it felt like a warm hug.

“The last time you came to see me this late, you were sad about being stood up by Ladybug,” Marinette said idly, leaning her back against the railing next to him.

Adrien didn’t answer right away, pausing with the mug close to his mouth before pulling it away. “It seems you know me only too well, Princess.”

Marinette hummed in affirmation. “So… what’s wrong?”

He sighed. “Ladybug’s dating someone.”

“Okay,” Marinette said slowly, sounding a little confused. “Didn’t you say that you had agreed to be friends?”

“We did,” he conceded. “But… it still kind of hurt, you know?”

“It hurt?” Marinette whispered. She sounded sad for him, and Adrien’s heart squeezed with gratefulness. Marinette was always looking out for him.

“We _are_ friends, and we won’t ever stop _being_ friends,” he said firmly. “We’re a team; _unstoppable._ But… I really do care for her. A lot. And it’s just… hard… not being cared for in the same way.”

“Oh, Chat,” Marinette breathed, putting her hand on his arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m… so sorry…”

“It’s alright, Princess,” he said, trying to keep his voice light. “I’m sure I’ll get over it eventually.”

A sort of tense silence fell between them for a while, with the only sounds being the occasional car from down below and the sound of the breeze in the distance. Even the lights of the Eiffel Tower had turned off for the evening, the city effectively being covered in a blanket of darkness. After some time, both of them silently finishing their hot chocolate, Marinette finally spoke again.

“Maybe… you could try dating someone else, too?” She suggested tentatively.

“The only other girl I’d want to date is already dating someone, as well,” Adrien said before he could stop himself.

Marinette blinked in surprise as he felt flush and he shook his head, avoiding her gaze. He mentally cursed himself. What was with his mouth moving on its own like that?

“I should probably get going,” he said, pulling out his baton. “Thanks for the hot chocolate, Princess; it was delicious, as always.”

And he vaulted off before either of them could say anything else.

* * *

 

**_A Week Later_ **

Even fencing practice wasn’t doing much to help his mood. He had found out earlier in the week that Luka had asked Marinette out on another date, and according to Alya, it had gone so well that he had asked her to be his girlfriend by the end of it.

Marinette had said yes. 

Adrien wasn't really sure what to do with that information. For some reason, it settled on him like a weight and he couldn’t really figure out why. He knew why he was upset about Ladybug dating someone in her civilian life; it meant that he wouldn’t have an opportunity anymore, and he had to try and reign in his flirting. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, after all. But why was Marinette’s new relationship status eating at him so much? He wondered if it was just him being protective of his friend. After all, Luka _was_ older; he did have a bit more experience, according to Juleka. He had dated a girl in his grade for a while before she moved schools, had already had his first kiss—

The thought caught him off guard and he totally froze, the idea of Luka kissing Marinette completely messing up his parry and allowing his opponent’s sabre to touch him under the arm. The frustrated sigh from behind his opponent’s mask reached his ears, and she pulled it off her face, brown eyes narrowed in a scrutinizing look.

“Could you stay focused, please?” Kagami huffed. “We have a tournament next month, and with the form you just displayed, we’re going to lose. I know you’re better than this.”

“Sorry,” Adrien said meekly as he lifted his own mask from his face. He reached for his water bottle and slumped on the bench as he unscrewed the cap. “I just… have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Clearly,” Kagami said. She hesitated for a moment before she took a seat next to him on the bench and grabbing her own water bottle. “So, what’s bothering you?”

Adrien shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

He saw Kagami arch a brow but didn’t pay any attention to it. Over her shoulder, coming down the steps from the library was Luka and Marinette. They were still in that awkward new couple stage, tentative around each other, but they were talking amicably. As they made their way out the doors of the school, Adrien could see Luka timidly reach out and grasp Marinette’s hand just before they were out of sight. He was vaguely aware of Kagami saying something to him, but he was too distracted to fully hear her.

“Huh?” Adrien said in what he hoped was a casual tone of voice, realizing that he was basically strangling his water bottle.

Kagami gave him a wry smile. “I _said_ , you like her a lot, don’t you?”

“Who, Marinette?” He said, gesturing to the girl who had just disappeared out of the school. “Well… yeah. She’s… an amazing friend.”

“Uh huh,” Kagami said, crossing her arms as Adrien tipped some water into his mouth before closing the cap. “That’s what you said the first time I asked you, too.”

“Well, it’s the truth,” he said, getting to his feet and flexing his sabre.

“Friends don’t frown when their _friend_ is with someone else,” Kagami said idly, swishing her sabre back and forth as she took her place on the mat. She caught Adrien’s eye with a smirk, and he instantly flushed under her gaze. He knew she was right, but he didn’t want to admit it.

“Just…” he sighed, slipping his mask over his face and taking position. “ _En garde_.”

* * *

 

**_Later That Night_ **

He found himself at Marinette’s place without really realizing how he’d gotten there. It was late, and he realized that she was probably asleep, but he couldn’t stop himself from following the familiar path to the bakery, Kagami’s words echoing through his head.

_Friends don’t frown when their friend is with someone else…_

He noticed a dim light shining from the hatch that led into her room, and he was about to alert her to his presence, but he stopped. He hadn’t been by to see her lately. Mostly because life kept getting in the way, but also because of what he’d said last time he was there. He was getting careless, he knew… maybe it wasn’t a good idea to come. 

He was about to turn and leave when Marinette’s head popped out of the hatch, and she froze when she saw him, fixing him with a confused look.

“Chat Noir?” She asked, her voice hushed but almost a little… relieved? “Is that you?”

“Uh… hi, Princess,” he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“You haven’t been by in a while. Is everything okay?”

“I just...” he started, swallowing over a dry throat. He licked his lips. What _was_ he doing there? He finally said, “I wanted to see you.”

“What are you doing here?” Marinette asked, climbing out of the hatch. He noticed her pyjamas, the same ones she wore when they were running around the city avoiding his crazed fans. They were cute, he mused.

“I’m not sure,” he said with a frown, looking away from her. “I don’t know.”

“Did something happen? Is that why you’ve been gone?” Marinette rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to meet his gaze. He chuckled in spite of himself.

“I guess so?” He said hollowly. He shrugged. “Sorry, Princess; I’m just... I think I realized something a little too late. I feel like my bad luck is starting to catch up with me…”

“What do you mean?” Marinette asked.

Adrien thought about it all; about the time he’d spent with her over the past two months, the confiding in each other, the long, late night talks, some of them ending after she’d fallen asleep and he was pulling the blankets up over her shoulders before disappearing into the night. He thought about how he relished in making her smile, the way her bluebell eyes twinkled when she laughed, so similar to another blue-eyed girl he knew… It was like a being hit by a truck. He definitely had a type, he mused.

“It’s nothing,” he said, beginning to make his way towards the balcony again. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Chat Noir, wait,” Marinette said, and she stepped in front of him, blocking his path with her hands gently braced against his chest. He refused to meet her gaze, but ever the stubborn one, she tilted his face towards her so that their eyes met. Her gaze seemed to bore into his, and he had to remind himself to breathe.

“What’s wrong?” She whispered softly.

“It’s not important, Marinette.” He averted his gaze again.

“Hey,” she said firmly, yanking his face back to face hers. “It _is_ important. Something is bothering you, Chat Noir, I can tell. We’re _friends;_ you can talk to me. What can I do to help?”

He knew he was impulsive. That was true. Plagg had said so, Ladybug had said so, even his father had said so. He got it from his mother, his father said. He knew he had a tendency to act without thinking. And it was without thinking that he stepped closer to Marinette, effectively pinning her between his body and the railing. She gave a soft gasp, her eyes growing wide, but she didn’t shy away from him or push him off, though her hands did recoil from his face. He thought about her question, his eyes searching hers for… something. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Maybe a clue? A hint that maybe… He stopped his train of thought, closing his eyes. He had to remind himself that she was dating Luka. Regardless of what he wanted, (whatever that was) she wasn’t a plaything and she didn’t belong to him. He opened his eyes again, fixing her with an intense stare. Without breaking eye-contact, his hand found hers.

“Nothing that wouldn’t jeopardize our friendship, Princess,” he said softly.

He brought her hand up to his lips, still not breaking eye contact with her, and he pressed a soft, lingering kiss on her knuckles. As soon as his lips touched her skin, he swore he heard a hitch in Marinette’s breath, saw her face flush in the dark and he knew he was done for. His heart squeezed painfully.

“Sorry to bother you,” he said again, dropping her hand. “I’ll let you sleep. Goodnight, Marinette.”

He fled into the night, realizing that he knew something he didn’t before. The feeling was familiar, but at the same time more intense and he wasn’t used to feeling it for this person. Since first donning the mask of Chat Noir, he’d only had eyes for the girl with the red and black spotted mask. He didn’t know how it happened but there had been a gradual shift, a change he couldn’t quite map out in his memory, but the truth was staring him painfully in the face.

He was in love with Marinette.

* * *

 

**_A Few Weeks Later_ **

Everyone was all abuzz about the formal dance that was set to happen at the end of the month. Even Adrien had gotten permission to go from his father. He would have been more excited about it if the girl he wanted to go the dance with was available, but...

“So what are you and Luka wearing to the dance, Marinette?” Alya asked during lunch break.

Sadly she was going with someone else. Adrien frowned as he munched on a carrot stick but continued listening in as Nino busied himself with his computer and some music software.

“I’m thinking of wearing something a little retro,” Marinette cracked open her sketchbook to show Alya. “But with a current colour scheme; pastels and florals are really popular for spring right now, and you know how much I love pink.”

“Can I take a look?” Adrien asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He didn’t miss the light pink flush that formed on Marinette’s cheeks. It had been a while since he had spoken to her, as both Adrien and Chat Noir; the black cat of Paris hadn’t been able to find it in his heart to see her on her balcony the past couple of weeks, but he realized he couldn’t keep ignoring her forever when their best friends were dating. He tried to keep it casual and offered her a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t steal your designs to take back to my father.”

“What?” She said loudly. “Oh, my gosh, of _course_ , I wouldn’t think that, I just wasn’t—“

“Just hand him the book, girl,” Alya said, snatching it from Marinette’s hands and handing it to Adrien in one fluid motion.

“Okay...” Marinette squeaked as Adrien looked over her design. It was for a 50’s style swing dress, very good for dancing in; the bodice looked to have off-the-shoulder straps and was done up in a pastel pink and white crème colour scheme and a skirt that was dotted with a large flower print. He was sure having the son of her favourite fashion mogul look at her designs was probably a little anxiety-inducing for her, so he made sure to give his nod of approval at her work as he read over her design notes, a smile forming on his face.

“This is amazing, Marinette!” He said honestly. “A super clean design; I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.”

“Thanks,” she said earnestly. “I’ve already bought the fabric, so I’m going to start working on it tonight!”

“What’s Luka wearing?” Alya pressed again as Adrien handed Marinette her sketchbook back. He felt himself frown at the mention of Luka, which in turn made him feel guilty. “Are you guys going to match?”

Marinette seemed to wilt just a smidge, something that caught Adrien’s attention. “No, he wants to wear his own thing because he’s going to be playing in the band for most of the night... but it’s fine! I’m sure we’ll both look great, either way!”

Adrien’s heart went out to her. Part of the draw of a dance like this was being able to match with your date, and he knew that matching would most likely be a big deal to Marinette; she was a fan of fashion, after all. The fact that her date wasn’t willing to coordinate with her put a bad taste in his mouth.

‘ _Stupid Luka._ ’

He found himself thinking that a lot lately, which only intensified his feelings of guilt. Luka was his friend… even if they hadn’t exactly been hanging out lately…

“Are you playing in the band, Adrien?” Alya asked suddenly as if she had read his thoughts.

“No, I’m not,” he said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “I had too many photoshoots scheduled and too many things going on to continue playing with them.”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said softly from Alya’s side. He tentatively met her gaze and saw that she looked little sad. “I know how much you liked playing with them.”

“Yeah,” he said softly, giving a noncommittal shrug. He didn’t want to admit that he’d been the one to take more jobs so he could avoid going to practice and avoid seeing Luka. It just bothered him too much. “It’s okay, though; I’m sure I’ll get to play more sometime.”

“Now that you’re not playing in the band though, you’ll have plenty of time to hang out with us!” Alya said, shooting him a wink. “Right Nino?”

“Huh?” Nino asked, pulling his headphones from his ears. “Did you say something?”

“I said, Adrien can hang out with us at the dance since he’s not playing in the band,” Alya said.

“Duh,” Nino said, letting his headphone settle around his neck. “I’ll be covering their breaks with a few DJ sets, so I’ll need you to keep the ladies company while I’m busy.”

Adrien chuckled. “Sure, Nino.”

“Are you going with anyone special?” Alya asked Adrien conversationally.

Adrien glanced at Marinette at the question, noticing how she seemed to bite her lip and look away. He frowned for a second before Alya waved her hand in front of his face.

“Earth to Adrien!” She said. “You _have_ asked someone to the dance, right?”

“Um,” he answered slowly, not really sure how to answer. “Honestly, I… haven’t really thought about it yet.”

“Well, get a move on! And whoever you _do_ ask, you know they’re welcome to come and hang out with us for the night,” Alya said with a smile.

“Yeah,” Adrien said, hoping his smile appeared natural. “Of course. Thanks, Alya.”

* * *

 

**_A Week Later_ **

The dance was next week and he _still_ didn’t have a date. There had been plenty of girls who were far too obvious in their desire for him to ask them, but he didn’t want to go with just _anybody_ ; it would be his first formal high school dance, and even though he was no stranger to formal settings _or_ dances, the combination of the two with his classmates was something he wanted to enjoy without the stress of having a fangirl fawn all over him. 

His distraction about the matter was evident when he, once again, lost a round to Kagami during fencing practice, and she was visibly bristling at his inability to keep focused.

“Alright,” she huffed with barely concealed frustration. She lifted her mask and planted a hand on her hip, fiddling with the handle of her sabre in the other. “I know that you have a busy life and a lot of things going on, but could you _please_ try and keep it off the fencing court?”

“Sorry,” Adrien said, pushing his mask off his face. “I know I haven’t been very focused lately.”

Kagami looked him over and he heard her sigh before nodding to the bench.

“Want to take a break?” She asked. 

Adrien offered her a grateful smile and followed her to the bench, sitting down heavily at her side. He grabbed his water bottle, taking a thoughtful drink as he pondered over who to ask to the dance. He thought of his classmates, who would naturally be paired up with who… Mylène would be going with Ivan, that was for certain. Alya was definitely going with Nino; they were a couple, after all. Juleka and Rose were most likely going together, but they would definitely include Nathaniel, Max and Kim in their group. That pretty much left Chloé and Sabrina, and as much as he cared about Chloé, he didn’t really want her draped around him like a loud scarf the whole night. Who _else_ did he know that was a casual friend and someone he could easily talk to…?

“So, what’s bothering you this time?” Kagami asked.

“It’s nothing,” Adrien answered automatically, taking another drink. Kagami sighed, reaching for her own water bottle.

“We’re friends, you know,” she said, unscrewing the cap to take a drink. “You can tell me what’s bothering you.”

“Do you want to go out with me?” He blurted suddenly as an idea struck him.

Kagami choked on her water and she thumped her chest to dislodge the liquid that she’d inhaled.

“ _What?_ ” She spluttered, looking at Adrien as if he had three heads. “Where did _that_ come from?”

“I mean as friends,” he amended, running his fingers through his hair. “There’s this school dance happening at _Le Grand Paris_ , and my best friends are all going together as dates, and I… kinda didn’t want to be the third wheel.”

“Isn’t there some other girl who’s head over heels for you that you can ask?” Kagami said, crossing her arms.

Adrien shrugged sheepishly. “I’d rather go with a friend… take some pressure off the evening, you know? It’s my first school dance, and I’d rather spend it with people I like hanging out with.”

“We _hang out_ , huh?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Kagami; just because the only time we see each other is at fencing lessons doesn’t mean we can’t be friends outside of that, too.”

Kagami mulled it over for a moment before confirming, “Just as friends?”

“Just as friends.”

He waited almost anxiously for her reply. Kagami was taking a long time to answer, and he realized after a few minutes that she probably liked seeing him sweat, a realization that made him frown as he fixed her with a pointed look. Eventually, she gave a conceding sigh and a wry grin.

“I’ll meet you there at 7:30,” she said. “I’ll be wearing red. We don’t have to match if we’re just going as friends.”

Adrien offered her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Kagami.”

* * *

 

**_A Week Later_ **

He hadn’t meant to match with her. 

Marinette, that is.

Or maybe he did... Subconsciously, of course. He wouldn’t have done it on purpose... but the white crème suit seemed to call to him when he looked over his outfit options. Of course, he’d be wearing Gabriel; his father would no doubt disown him if he wore anything else, school dance or not. The suit jacket was a cashmere blend, very luxurious to the touch, and underneath he wore a crisp white shirt topped with a crème-silk vest accented with a pastel pink tie. Wearing pink wasn’t an issue for Adrien; as a model, he was often shoved into things of various colours, and he also liked to chalk it up to how comfortable he was with his masculinity.

Because he was the one who required the bodyguard, Adrien arranged for his friends to join him in the car and they’d all ride to the dance together. First stop was Nino’s, then Alya’s, and then Marinette’s where she was supposed to be with Luka. Adrien didn’t much like the idea of having their relationship waved in his face, but Marinette had been so grateful and happy when he offered that he couldn’t find it in himself to be mad about it.

When his bodyguard pulled up to Nino’s place, his friend was already there, wearing black dress pants, a matching vest, and a purple dress shirt with a black tie. Alya must have been wearing purple, and he had to hand it to Nino:

“You clean up good,” Adrien said as his friend slid into the seat next to him.

“No need to lie to my face, dude,” Nino said but he grinned anyway, pinching at Adrien’s jacket with a raised brow. “We all can’t look like a damn model.”

“I’m serious,” Adrien answered as the car peeled back into traffic. “Alya won’t be able to keep her eyes off you.”

“You think?” Nino seemed a bit nervous. “I’m not used to this whole monkey suit business.”

“Ah, come on,” Adrien clapped his friend on the shoulder with a grin. “It’s not every day you can wear a monkey suit; enjoy it while you can!”

“Don’t you wear these pretty often?”

“And I can assure you that I know they’re the closest thing us mere mortals can get to a super suit,” Adrien grinned.

They pulled up in front of Alya’a building just as Nino was texting her, and the boys opted to go up and see her instead of waiting in the car. Adrien let Nino lead the way, and as soon as they got into the kitchen, Alya’s mother began to fuss over them, getting her camera ready to take pictures.

“Alya, Nino and Adrien are here!” Marlena called. “Are you almost ready?”

“We’ll just be a sec, Mama!” Alya’s muffled voice called back. Adrien’s brow furrowed.

‘ _We_?’

Alya eventually emerged from her room, done up in a tight-fitting purple dress that matched Nino’s shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail (that she proudly announced was her “power pony”) and she paired everything with black pumps and a clutch her mother had lent her. Emerging from the room behind her, looking like some kind of flower fairy, was Marinette. It was like her dress design had been magicked off the paper and into reality; she had made it perfectly, the bodice fitting snugly against her torso with the A-line skirt flaring out to her knees. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant twist at the back of her head, and she opted to wear white flats instead of heels, most likely knowing her own clumsiness.

Adrien was floored. She was stunning. She looked beautiful. Like a… Princess. He’d given her the nickname as Chat Noir without really thinking about it, but it suited her. He then realized he was staring and cleared his throat.

“Marinette, what are you doing here?” Adrien asked, hoping he sounded casual. “I thought we were picking up you and Luka from your place.”

“Oh, we had a change of plans,” Marinette said with a smile. “He had a late band practice, so he said he’d meet us there.”

Adrien noticed how her shoulders drooped and he frowned. He found it was getting harder and harder to like Luka right now.

“Alright, photo time!” Marlena exclaimed, and Alya groaned.

“Ma _maaaa_ , we’ve got to _go_!”

“No, you guys go ahead,” Marinette said to Alya and Nino. “You guys should get a photo to commemorate your night! You both look great.”

“Oh no, we’re not leaving you and Adrien out of this,” Marlena said. “Not when you both match!”

Adrien knew he and Marinette realized it at the same time. They both glanced at their own outfits before looking at each other’s and the two of them instantly flushed red.

“We’re not-“ Adrien stuttered. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Yeah, we’re not-“ Marinette floundered. “I’m going to the dance with Luka!”

“Since he’s not here,” Nino quipped. “Why don’t you two just get a photo together? We can do a group picture! Just a bunch of friends.”

Marinette seemed to relax at that and glanced at Adrien. He met her gaze and shrugged with a sheepish smile and they joined Nino and Alya in the shot. Adrien stood next to Marinette, eventually having to put his arm behind her as they were all instructed to squish in together for the photo by Marlena.

After a quick photo session later that Alya grumbled though (“Now I know where you get it from,” Marinette said jokingly), they were finally on their way down to the car. Nino and Alya led the way, arm in arm, and Adrien fell into step next to Marinette as Marlena waved them off.

“Bye, have fun!” She called. “Make good choices!”

“I never got a chance to tell you, Marinette,” Adrien said as he opened the car door for her. “Your dress looks incredible! It turned out really well.”

Marinette chuckled. “Oh, thanks; I’m really proud of it. I think it’s my best work yet!”

“You should be proud,” Adrien smiled.

“You look really nice, too,” Marinette gave him an earnest smile as she smoothed a part of his jacket. She paused at the softness before she pulled away (Adrien’s heart squeezed sadly) and turned to get into the car. “But then again, you always look really nice.”

“Thanks,” he said with a wistful smile as he slid in after her.

* * *

 

The party was in full swing by the time they arrived at _Le Grand Paris._ Chloé’s father had graciously allowed the party to happen in one of the grand ballrooms, something that she had boasted about for the past week, and it _did_ look very nice; balloons, streamers, flashing lights, a huge dance floor… it was everything and more.

Alya suddenly roped them all into a selfie, snapping a few photos of the group of them all huddled together as friends before Marinette excused herself to find Luka. Adrien watched her go wistfully but followed Nino and Alya as they secured a table. Adrien made himself comfortable, saying he wanted to just watch for a bit instead of dancing, and he was supposed to be meeting his date here, anyway. Alya just shrugged and dragged Nino off to the dance floor, getting lost in the crowd.

“You clean up nicely,” a voice behind him said.

Adrien turned to see Kagami dressed in a tea-length red dress with wide shoulder straps, her short dark hair lightly tousled with loose, textured curls. She looked nice and Adrien was grateful to see her.

“Thanks,” he said honestly. “You, too.”

“So, who am I here to make jealous?” Kagami asked easily, taking the seat next to him. Adrien spluttered.

“J-jealous?” He stammered. “Why do you think I asked you here to make someone jealous?”

“I’m kidding,” Kagami said, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head. “Honestly, you get bent out of shape so easily.”

Adrien knew his friendship with Kagami was unorthodox. They had met under strange circumstances, which made for a strange kind of friendship, but he enjoyed her company. She was nice but blunt and to the point, something he appreciated. She reminded him a little bit of Alya, but much less intense. She didn’t go to his school, but due to his consistent fencing schedule and her new status as a student of Monsieur D’Argencourt, they spent a lot of time together as friendly rivals, and they quickly became friends. Kagami was the no-nonsense type and she didn’t beat around the bush, which made it easy for him to talk to her. In a way, she kind of reminded him of Ladybug, too; he would have been lying if he said he hadn’t had a tiny bit of a crush on her, but he knew they worked better as friends.

The music suddenly changed tones a bit as the band stepped up onto a makeshift stage, and Adrien saw Luka, Rose, Juleka, Ivan and surprisingly Nathaniel take their positions. It looked like Rose and Juleka managed to convince Nath to join in as their keyboard player in his stead. Kagami was getting up from her chair and Adrien looked at her quizzically until she nodded to the dance floor.

“Come on,” she said with a smile. “This is a dance, isn’t it? You can introduce me to your friends.”

He got up and took her hand, winding his way through the bodies until he found Nino, Alya and Marinette close by. It was Marinette who noticed them approaching first and she glanced down at Adrien and Kagami’s clasped hands before nudging Alya, who gave them a grin when she saw them.

“Hey!” She said exuberantly. “I was wondering when you’d join us.”

“Who’s your friend, Adrien?” Nino asked. 

“This is Kagami,” he said, pulling her forward by the hand so she could be a part of the conversation. “Kagami, this is Nino, Alya, and I’m sure you remember Marinette.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Kagami said with a slight bow. “Adrien’s told me a lot about you.”

“You were the girl at the fencing team tryouts, right?” Marinette asked, giving Kagami a smile. Adrien noticed that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m sorry I… made the wrong call that day.”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to worry about it,” Kagami said, waving away Marinette’s concern. She glanced down at Marinette’s dress and Adrien saw her give a knowing smile. “I like your dress, by the way.”

“Oh,” Marinette plucked at her skirt, her cheeks turning a soft rosy hue. “Thank you.”

“Hey, why don’t we get closer to the stage to dance,” Adrien said quickly. “Come on, Kagami!”

He pulled her forward, allowing his friends to trail behind them. He heard Kagami snickering and once he found an open pocket for their little group to nestle into, he met Kagami’s gaze and she was giving him a strange, impish grin that he’d never seen before.

“You _matched_ with her?” She snorted. Adrien rolled his eyes.

“Shut up…” he grumbled.

* * *

 

The night seemed to be going smoothly. Kagami was a good conversationalist and was able to talk with Nino, Alya and Marinette easily, even if the latter of his three friends seemed a little distracted. He thought he saw Marinette shoot him a look every now and again, but as soon as he went to meet her gaze, she was looking away. He was sure it was just his imagination, anyway.

They were hanging off to the side, catching their breath after a particularly rigorous dance to their favourite Jagged Stone song, complete with a mini-mosh pit. As if sensing the need for something a little more relaxed, the band immediately struck up a slow song that prompted Nino to whisk Alya back to the dancefloor. Marinette chuckled as she watched them go, giving a little flutter of her fingers in a wave before standing with her hands clasped in front of her, swaying gently to the music on her own. Adrien, who had stepped farther off to the side, simply stared after her, not noticing the way Kagami looked between him and Marinette and back again.

“Oh, _wow_ , am I thirsty,” she said in an overly cheery tone. “I think I’m going to go get some punch.”

As she started to walk away, she shot Adrien a pointed look and nodded to Marinette. Adrien flushed under her gaze and shook his head before Kagami was suddenly very close to his face and looking very intimidating, despite the fact he was basically a head taller than her.

“You can either ask her to dance yourself, or I can shove you into her,” she said through gritted teeth. “The choice is yours.”

“Alright, fine, jeez…” he said as Kagami gave him a sweet smile before stalking away to the punch table.

Adrien took up space just behind Marinette, hands clasped behind his back as he awkwardly rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. He struggled, trying to find something to say before he took a deep breath, trying to get his nerves to cooperate before he fell into step next to her.

“Hey,” he said lightly, offering her a smile.

“Oh,” Marinette startled slightly at his presence and blushed a bit, but she offered him a smile in return. “Hey, Adrien!”

“Are you… having fun?” He asked, mentally cursing himself at how awkward he sounded.

“Yeah, I’m… I’m having a great time,” Marinette said brightly. “How about you?”

“Yeah, lots of fun,” he said.

“Kagami seems nice,” Marinette commented, gesturing in the general direction of where she had seen Kagami last.

“Yeah, she’s… really nice,” Adrien said.

Marinette gave a noncommittal hum. “Do you… like her?”

Adrien blinked at her question. “Yeah, she’s… a good friend of mine. You know, after the whole Riposte thing, she started fencing lessons with me, and we found that we had a lot in common.”

“That’s awesome,” Marinette said, giving him another smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

They stood awkwardly for a moment, lapsing back into an awkward silence that reminded Adrien of the time they tried playing video games together. That seemed like forever ago. Adrien thought back to all the times they had interacted in the past and how awkward it had been at first, but realized that gradually, one of them would do or say something that would allow all of the tension between them to melt away… maybe this was one of those opportunities.

“Hey, Marinette,” he said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Um… would you like to dance?”

He held out a hand to her, offering her a gentle smile. She looked from him to his hand and back to him again before she gave him a more genuine smile in return and she nodded, slipping her hand into his. 

They found their place out on the dance floor, and Adrien placed her hand on his shoulder, leading her into a dance similar to the one they had shared months ago at the party Chloé had thrown before Despair Bear had happened. He remembered how at ease he had felt with her then, how he’d had no issues with pulling her closer and slow dancing with her as her head rested on his shoulder. He hated how he was a nervous wreck this time around.

They started out a little awkward, but Adrien tried his best to make the dance goofy and friendly. He was able to crack a couple jokes, promising he would do his best not to step on her foot which caused her to laugh, and they fell into a steady rhythm. As they got a little swept away in the music, Adrien realized that he was staring into her eyes, mesmerized by her. It was as if she could read his mind; as soon as he thought about, Marinette suddenly flushed and tore her eyes away from his, opting instead to glance up at the stage Luka was standing on, the slightest hint of a frown on her lips.

“Are you happy, Marinette?” Adrien suddenly asked, tearing her from her reverie. She gave him a smile, another that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Yes, of course I am,” she chirped.

“You just... don’t seem as happy as you used to be these days,” Adrien said tentatively. Marinette didn’t answer, the smile slowly slipping from her face as she intently directed her gaze to the lapel of his jacket. 

“You know,” he continued. “If you need to talk to me about anything, you can.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she said. Adrien released his hand from her waist and gently nudged her chin up so she’d meet his gaze.

“You’ve never been a very good liar, Marinette,” he said in a low voice.

Marinette sucked in a deep breath before letting it out in a huff. “I didn’t think you noticed.”

Adrien frowned. “Why would you think that?”

“Because, you-“ Marinette cut herself off as if trying to decide on what to say. Eventually, she sighed and looked away again. “Nevermind...”

“Marinette,” Adrien said, almost pleadingly. “Please, tell me. I want to know.”

“Why?”

“Because I...” he hesitated for a moment, catching himself. “I care about you.”

Marinette sucked in a tiny breath and met his gaze for a fraction of a second before she turned away again, biting her lip.

“Why now...?” She asked quietly, enough that Adrien thought he almost missed what she said.

“What are you—?” He started, but Marinette suddenly cut him off with a firm look in her eyes.

“Why do you suddenly care now?” She asked.

Adrien was visibly taken aback. “What are you talking about? I’ve always cared about you.”

Marinette snorted a little indignantly. It was like a lot of pent-up emotion was suddenly bubbling to the surface. “Really? Because since you started school, I had tried to get your attention, but you never noticed.”

“Wait... what?” Adrien frowned. “Since I started school?”

“Yes,” Marinette said, exasperated. “I’ve... I _liked_ you. Ever since the day you handed me your umbrella.”

“I...” Adrien was floored. Had it really been that long? Had she been pining after him all this time, and he only just _now_ began to notice her? He felt like an idiot. 

“I didn’t... I had no idea, Marinette. I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry...” she sighed. “I just... I had a stressful day and I’ve just been... confused.”

“What have you been confused about?” Adrien asked. Marinette pointedly avoided his gaze, biting her lip, and Adrien figured he could guess. “Is it… Luka?”

“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head.

“You know… if he doesn’t make you happy, you don’t have to stay with him.”

“Adrien…” Marinette sighed.

“I could…” he hesitated, but he knew he was already this far. “I could make you happy.”

“Please, don’t do this…”

“What can I do, Marinette?” Adrien pleaded. “What can I do to convince you to give me another chance?”

Marinette looked at him with a steely gaze he wasn’t used to seeing on her face. “You had months of chances, Adrien, and I’ve spent months waiting for you to take them.”

The song finally ended, and they stood staring at each other for a moment as Rose announced the band was taking a break and that Nino would be taking over with a DJ set.

“Thanks for the dance,” Marinette said as she turned to leave the dance floor, her head bowed.

Adrien was left dumbstruck with the news that she had just dropped on him. She had _liked_ him. For _months._ He felt the frustration and the sorrow and all sorts of emotions he wasn’t familiar with well up inside him, and he clenched his fist, taking a deep breath. He had to calm down. He wouldn’t be any help to anyone if he got akumatized. He was just making his way off the dance floor, fully intending on telling Kagami he was ready to go home when someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder and turned him roughly.

“Hey,” a slightly angry voice met his ears, and he turned to see Luka giving him a hard look.

“Luka,” Adrien said, surprised. He cleared his throat. “Nice set—”

“What was _that_?” Luka asked, gesturing to the dance floor.

“What was what?”

“With Marinette?” Luka pressed. “I saw you guys on the dance floor.”

“It was just a dance, Luka,” Adrien sighed. He really didn’t want to be dealing with this right now. “My date didn’t want to dance and you were busy, so… I asked my friend.”

“That didn’t look very _friendly_ to me, Adrien,” Luka said a little darkly.

“Look,” Adrien said, holding up hands in what he hoped was a peaceful gesture as he turned to leave. “I don’t know what you thought you saw, but Marinette is… just a friend, okay? You don’t need to worry.”

“You know,” Luka suddenly said, catching Adrien’s attention and causing him to stop. “I always thought the fact she was with me bothered you. Why is that, Adrien? Couldn’t stand that someone else could _possibly_ please her?”

At his side, Adrien’s right hand slowly balled up into a fist.

“I mean, I don’t blame you; she’s pretty cute,” Luka kept going. He was being uncharacteristically mean and possibly speaking out of fear or anger, but Adrien couldn’t find it in himself to care. “Too bad for you, though, she belongs to _me_.”

Adrien snapped.

In one fluid movement, he was suddenly turning around and delivering a right hook straight at Luka’s jaw, effectively knocking him back into a table and causing glasses to crash to the ground. In the next moment, Luka retaliated, aiming a punch that Adrien easily dodged, but he failed to notice that Luka was using his other hand and Adrien was quickly caught in the cheekbone with his fist.

Their fight had definitely caused a scene. A small crowd was starting to form around them, and Adrien was distantly aware of people telling them to stop, but he was too angry. It wasn’t until Luka delivered a cheap shot to Adrien’s ribs, causing him to double over before he delivered an uppercut to Luka’s jaw that someone’s voice finally managed to reach Adrien’s ears.

“Adrien, Luka, that’s enough!” The voice sounded an awful lot like Marinette.

The boys ignored her, continuing to wrestle and throw punches, and Adrien was vaguely aware of Marinette running forward to try and get between them.

“You guys, stop it!” Marinette tried to yank Adrien away from Luka, but at the same time, Luka shoved Adrien back into Marinette, knocking her back slightly, and once she regained her balance, she took a deep breath.

“ _STOP IT_!” She screamed.

Luka and Adrien finally stopped throwing punches, but they were still glowering at each other, chests heaving from exertion, still within punching distance from each other. Marinette looked between the two of them, completely furious.

“What is the _matter_ with you two?! Do you _want_ there to be an Akuma?!” She was yelling. Adrien didn’t think he’d ever seen Marinette so angry.

“He just turned around and punched me,” Luka said defensively to Marinette, glaring at Adrien. That set Adrien off into another fury and he made a lunge at Luka again, but Nino quickly sprung into action and began trying to wrestle Adrien back.

“Why don’t you tell her why, huh?” Adrien growled, fighting against Nino. “Tell her what you said that made you deserve getting decked, you so—”

“Dude, _enough_!” Nino said, giving Adrien a good shove back and getting between him and Luka. “Chill out, man; he’s not worth it.”

Adrien glowered at Luka, who wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth, and he didn’t miss Marinette moving over to him to check his face. He glanced at the pair briefly before shaking his head, pushing Nino off of him and stalking off through the crowd without another word, whispers and murmurs following him.

“Adrien,” Nino called after him, grabbing his arm. “What happened, dude? I’ve never seen you go off like that.”

“Just leave it, Nino,” Adrien said, bringing his hand up to the stinging skin around his eye and wincing. “Just… forget it. I’m going home. I’ll send Gorilla to come and pick you guys up later.”

He briefly ran into Chloe, who was about to fuss over him, but Adrien was profoundly grateful when she noticed his expression and knew better to leave him be. He managed to secure some ice wrapped in a tea towel from one of the waitstaff as he left and gingerly pressed the ice to his bruising eye as he pulled out his phone to text Gorilla. He thought about what just happened and felt the feeling of shame begin to take over. He knew he was prone to emotional outbursts, but he knew that was unlike him.

“Adrien,” a voice called as he was making his way down the sidewalk of _Le Grand Paris_ , and his heart leapt into his throat at the sound of it. He turned to see Marinette, standing alone a short distance away, looking at him like he was a stranger.

“What was that?” She finally asked, letting her arms flop to her sides.

“Just a… disagreement,” Adrien said, adjusting the icepack on his face.

Marinette sighed. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“What did Luka tell you?” He said bitterly.

“He told me you punched him,” Marinette said, taking a step forward. “Which I never thought was possible from you. Now I’m waiting for you to tell me your side.”

“He just… said some stuff that got to me, okay?” Adrien said.

“Adrien, what’s going on with you?” Marinette took another step closed to tentatively touch his arm. “This… this isn’t you.”

“Well maybe I’ve just kept things bottled up too long, Marinette, and it’s finally starting to come out,” he snapped. Marinette recoiled from him as if his words burned her, and he regretted them instantly. He sighed, removing the ice pack from his face, and gave her an apologetic look. “Marinette, I’m sorry—”

“Go home, Adrien,” Marinette said, shaking her head as she moved to go back towards the hotel.

“Marinette, wait,” Adrien pleaded. “I’m sorry. I… don’t know what came over me.”

“You know,” Marinette said softly, her voice sounding a little thick. “I was just coming around to the idea of us being friends.”

“We’re still friends, aren’t we?” Adrien asked quietly, almost pleadingly. Marinette sniffed, looking like she was holding in tears as she shook her head and backed away from him.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know because I don’t know who _this_ ” - she gestured to him - “even is. This isn’t the boy who handed me his umbrella.”

That was the last thing Marinette said to him for the next month.

* * *

 

As sour as Adrien was about having to be around Luka and Marinette, he knew he couldn’t let Nino down. Besides, seeing Luka obtain a swift defeat by his best friend’s mad DJ skills would sweeten the situation a little more, and he didn’t want to miss that. Even so, he felt like a third wheel hanging out with both Nina and Alya, who was of course there to support her boyfriend and to film it for her blog. The two rattled on about this, that and the other thing as Adrien led them through the TV studio to the stage. His heart squeezed in his chest a little harder when she saw Marinette adjusting the collar of Luka’s shirt as they had an easy conversation with each other.

Man, that was never going to stop being difficult…

The month after the dance had been the longest of Adrien’s life. He and Marinette hadn’t been on speaking terms at school, and despite his efforts to try and make up with her, she was conveniently busy every time he made a move to apologize. He visited her as Chat Noir once or twice, but since his behaviour the last time he saw her where he’d kissed her hand, he felt like he’d burned that bridge, too. The only solace he had, for the most part, was his patrols with Ladybug, but even those felt stilted as he knew he needed to give her respectful distance, and she seemed to be preoccupied with something anyway. Ladybug had even seemed a little off with his civilian self, as well; the one time she happened to be around during an Akuma attack before he had a chance to transform, she just told him to get to safety, not sparing him much more than a glance when he was used to so much more from her. 

Nino had forgiven him right away for the events at the dance after he explained what happened, but Alya had taken a little longer. Once he was able to sit her down and explain exactly how everything happened, she was tentative but promised not to hold it against him. He supposed her reason for being so stern about it was because of Marinette. Adrien didn’t need telling twice; he knew that he’d hurt her, and he knew he’d be paying for it for a long time. 

Adrien found his way to the elevator, pressing the button for the highest floor he could go to get to the roof and he stepped onto it, enjoy the silence surrounding him. He leaned against the cool steel wall, closing his eyes, but before the elevator could close all the way, he heard someone call, “Hold the door!”

He looked up and saw Marinette, managing to worm her way through the closing doors, and he froze for a second as she caught her breath before she baulked at the sight of him. It was the first time they were face to face since their fight at the dance.

“Oh,” she said awkwardly, glancing down at her feet. “Sorry… um, I’ll just—”

She turned around to walk through the doors, but they’d already closed. He heard her sigh.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “I’ll leave you alone. I’m just going up to the roof to get some air.”

“Me, too,” Marinette said softly, leaning against the opposite wall from Adrien.

“I can get off at the next floor if you want,” Adrien said. “I don’t want to bother you or anything—”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Marinette said quickly. “Don’t let me stop you.”

The pair of them stood in silence as they made their ( _agonizingly_ ) slow ascent. Adrien fiddled anxiously with the ring on his right hand and Marinette was doing the same with her earrings, nervously turning the studs in her ears. They glanced at each other and ceased their fiddling with an awkward start, suddenly realizing they were in such close quarters.

“So,” Adrien ventured slowly, not liking the way the silence was pressing in on them. “Uh… how’s Luka?”

“What?” Marinette said distractedly. “Oh. Um. Good! Yeah, he’s good.”

“That’s good,” Adrien supplied casually.

“How’s Kagami?” Marinette asked.

“Huh?”

“You two are dating, aren’t you?”

“What?” Adrien’s eyes went wide. “N-no, we’re not dating… where did you hear that?”

“You took her to the dance,” Marinette said pointedly.

“As a friend,” Adrien clarified.

Marinette nodded slowly. “Right; sorry, I’m sure you mentioned it that night, I just… assumed.”

The silence stretched on for a long time again. Adrien wanted to say something, anything at all, to let her know how sorry he was for the way he’d behaved at the dance, but he didn’t know what else he could say. Eventually, he sighed and opened his mouth to speak.

“Look, Marinette, about the dance—”

“Adrien, about that night—”

They both started talking at the same time, cutting each other off, and they chuckled a little awkwardly, not looking at each other.

“You go ahead,” Adrien said.

“No, no, please,” Marinette replied. “You go.”

“Okay,” He took a deep breath. “About the dance? I just wanted to say how so—“

A sudden lurch of the elevator car accompanied by a loud groan cut off Adrien’s words and effectively caused Marinette to tumble into him. He caught her before she faceplanted, Adrien shielding her head with his arms as they toppled to the ground. She was pressed against his chest as the elevator ground to a halt, ceasing its rocking movement and they both noticed with flushed faces how close they were. They only had a second to register this before the lights in the lift suddenly shut off, keeping them in complete darkness for a moment until the emergency lights along the bottom panels of the elevator turned on, giving them just enough lighting to see. As soon as it was still, Adrien quickly released Marinette and she pulled back, instantly running for the control panel and pressing a few buttons.

“It’s not working,” she said urgently.

“Dammit…” Adrien grumbled.

“Maybe we can try and pry the door open,” Marinette suggested, and Adrien moved to try and pull the doors apart with his fingers. 

He managed to get it open just enough to wedge his shoulder in between, but saw there was only a sliver of the next floor up that was visible, and it was too small for them to crawl out. If only he could transform and use his staff, he’d be able to pry it up… but he couldn’t in front of Marinette.

“We’re stuck,” Adrien said, looking around for another way to get out.

“Do you think it’s an Akuma?” Marinette asked.

“Most likely,” Adrien said. “That, or a really bad electrical failure. Don’t worry, I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here soon.”

They heard a scraping sound on the next floor up and Adrien immediately pressed himself against the doors of the elevator, Marinette doing the same, so they couldn’t be seen. He looked up to see what it was, and he saw a man dressed in a very stylized firefighter uniform, dragging around a fire extinguisher.

“So, you like to have fun with too many people and too much electrical equipment, huh?” The Akuma said. 

Without warning, the Akuma took its extinguisher and pointed it at the elevator, pulling the nozzle and letting a large blast of fire hit the wall and blasting off the top of the elevator car, causing burning debris to fall around them. 

“Well… Fire Marshal will show you the detriment of not keeping things… _up to code!”_

‘ _I need to transform!’_ Adrien thought frantically. But he couldn’t… not in front of Marinette. He weighed his options, looking from the girl huddled in the corner but glancing around with a determined look in her eyes to the now non-existent roof of the elevator. There was no way to get out of this without being Chat Noir… and the Akuma was already looking like it was gearing up for another attack.

_‘I may not have a choice… Marinette will know who I am…’_

He heard the Akuma cackle as it chose to a new spot to aim the Fire Non-extinguisher (right at the cables holding the car up along the sides) and his mind was made up, knowing there was going to be no going back from this.

 _‘No sense getting toasted…’_ he thought. He took a deep breath, his face burning as he brought up his right hand.

“Plagg claws out!” He called.

“Tikki spots on!”

It all happened with a matter of seconds.

The words left her mouth the same time as his, and he whipped his head around to fix her with a look of shock and awe. Marinette was fixing him with the same look, their mouths hanging open as their transformations crackled down their bodies and it took his brain an extra minute to catch up with what was happening before everything clicked. Their transformations complete, they gaped at each other wordlessly before they could find their voices.

“IT’S _YOU_?” They yelled in unison, pointing at each other.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Ladybug was Marinette.

He was sure his brain was going to short circuit with this information and he would die from trying to process it. This whole time, his Lady, his partner, the person he trusted with his life had been his Princess the whole time? Sweet, kind, thoughtful Marinette who sat behind him in class? He didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry at the painful irony of it all. Both girls he had been pining after at one point or another had been all wrapped up in the same person all along, and he’d managed to screw things up with her on _both_ sides of the coin.

The click of the Not-Extinguisher caught their attention, and they both leapt into action, leaping out of the way of the blast of fire just in time and managing to grasp onto parts of the elevator shaft. Adrien dug his claws into the metalwork, his fingers managing to find a ledge for him to cling to, his boots scrambling for purchase.

“You’ve been Chat Noir this _entire time?_ ” Ladybug - no, _Marinette -_ yelled from the other side of the shaft.

“I know this is a lot, but we can talk about this later?” He yelled back, dodging out of the way as Fire Marshal sent another blast of fire in his direction.

Half the building had been destroyed, it seemed, and the two managed to lead Fire Marshal to the roof. They had a bit of a rough start getting in sync after their identities had been revealed to each other, but always, they found a way to work together, allowing old patterns to simply fall into place, and they managed to conquer the Akuma in about half an hour. After Ladybug ( _Marinette_ , he had to keep reminding himself) threw her lucky charm up into the air, repairing the damage done to the building, they both made sure the akumatized victim was okay before tentatively turning to face each other. The tension between them was so palpable, he could have slashed at it with his claws.

Even with her mask, Adrien could see the conflicted look in her eyes, the way her brows were knitted together, her lips pursed in a way that was now even more familiar _since it was the same look Marinette made at school_. He still couldn’t figure out how he hadn’t seen it before? It was so obvious. Eventually, he brought his hand up to awkwardly scratch the back of his head, trying to figure out what he should say.

“Listen,” he said tentatively. “Ladybug… I mean, Marine—”

She held up a hand in response, silencing him. He blinked for a moment, waiting for her to say something, and when she didn’t, he tried again.

“We can talk about thi—”

“Not here.” She said firmly.

He felt like the wind got knocked out of him like he’d been punched very hard in the solar plexus. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out, and she kept going.

“Notre Dame. Ten o’clock.” She said, clearly trying to keep her voice calm and even, but he could hear the tension her words. “We’re going to talk about this. But not here. Not now.”

“O-okay,” Adrien said weakly. He sighed. “Should we go down together to see if everyone else is okay, or…?”

“I think… we should go separately,” she said evenly. “To avoid suspicion.”

“Right,” Adrien said, a feeling of dread settling in his chest. “Well… ladies first.”

She nodded, giving him one last conflicted look before she hurried to the stairwell. As she ran, he caught the beginning stages of her transformation beginning to lift before the door closed behind her, and as soon as he was alone, he let out a shaky breath as his own transformation released around him.

“Wow,” Plagg said slowly, settling on Adrien’s shoulder. “That was…”

“Not the way I wanted that to go,” Adrien finished. “At all.”

Plagg was quiet for a while before he felt the tiny swami gently touch his cheek with his little paw. “I’m sorry, Adrien.”

“Me, too, Plagg,” Adrien sighed as he started to make his way down the stairs.

He’d had enough of elevators for the day.

* * *

Adrien finally reached the bottom of the stairs and was immediately surrounded by his friends by the time he stepped out of the building. Nino pulled him into a spine-crushing hug that he carefully returned and even Alya, who had been frosty with him at best over the last couple of weeks, leapt into his arms at seeing him safe.

“We were so worried,” Alya said as she released him.

“Yeah, dude,” Nino said, his brows knitted together nervously. “You and Marinette were the only people we couldn’t find when the Akuma started going crazy; I didn’t even know you’d gone off on your own.”

“I… hid in a closet on one of the upper floors,” Adrien lied. “I managed to get out unscathed, but the… elevators and stairs were destroyed, so… I couldn’t come down.”

“Marinette said the same thing happened to her,” Alya said, gesturing behind her, and he saw the girl in question get pulled into a tight embrace by Luka. “Did you see her while you were up there?”

Adrien watched as Marinette returned Luka’s hug, eyes closed briefly as he simply held her. She looked so at peace at first glance, as if she were relieved to be back in his arms, but even from the distance, he could see the way her brows were knitted together. She suddenly opened her eyes, as if she could feel him looking at her, and their gazes met over his shoulder. A silent conversation seemed to happen between them, one that he wasn’t sure he was understanding. Her brows were still knitted together in an expression of inner conflict before she finally averted her eyes, allowing Luka to lead her away with his arm around her shoulders, her arm gripping around his waist as she tucked into his side.

“No,” Adrien said finally. “No, I didn’t see her up there.”

* * *

Hours later, he was pacing his room, anxiety filling his chest as each minute ticked by. He kept replaying things in his head over and over again; every interaction he’d had with Ladybug, every moment he spent with Marinette, how he was suddenly painfully aware of the similarities, and again, he couldn’t fathom how he’d missed it.

It was so obvious.

It had always been obvious.

“I’m so _stupid!”_ He agonized, dropping onto his bed.

“No kidding,” Plagg said absently. “Still though; it was about time. Took you two long enough.”

Adrien sighed loudly, rolling over onto his back and staring miserably up at his ceiling. “She probably hates me, Plagg…”

Plagg hesitated before answering, something that didn’t escape his notice. “Well… I don’t think she hates you…”

“But?” Adrien pressed.

“But… you haven’t exactly been…” Plagg struggled to find the words to explain what he wanted to say.

Adrien huffed. “I get it, Plagg. I’ve been an ass.”

He sat up, cover his face with his hands with another deep sigh before running them through his hair.

“I don’t even know what to say to her,” he said.

“I think, at a time like this,” Plagg said, hovering in front of Adrien’s face. “It’s best to be honest… and speak from the heart.”

Adrien was a little surprised, but his eyes softened as he fixed his kwami with a grateful look. “Thanks, Plagg.”

His phone beeped, altering him to the time he’d set to start heading out to go see Ladybug ( _Marinette_ , he reminded himself again) and his breath caught, nerves suddenly getting to him again. Reluctantly, he got to his feet.

“Guess it’s time,” he said.

“Good luck, Adrien,” Plagg said.

“Thanks, buddy,” he said, shooting his kwami a smile. “Plagg claws out.”

* * *

He touched down on the roof of Notre Dame at ten o’clock that evening. She was there, as she said she would be, her back facing him as she leaned against a spire to gaze out over the city. He knew this was going to be a painful conversation and opted to keep a distance away from her so she wouldn’t feel like he was invading her personal space.

She didn’t react when he touched down. He wasn’t even sure if she’d heard him. After a few moments of standing there, gazing at her, his heart thundering in his ears, he finally found the will to speak.

“Ladybu—” he started, and noticed how her shoulders suddenly tensed. No. He was going to call her by her name. He took a deep breath and started again. “ _Marinette.”_

She didn’t answer him. She just stood there, tense, and he sighed.

“I know… you’re probably disappointed it’s me,” he said slowly, gripping his staff tightly at his side. “Especially after the way I’ve been acting the last few months… I haven’t been a very good friend, or even a good partner, for that matter.

“I just…” he swallowed thickly over a lump that started to form in his throat. “I don’t know why I was chosen to be Chat Noir. I’m not even fully convinced that I’m the best person for the job. All I know is… I’m grateful for an opportunity to be by your side. Everything else in my life… it all just seems so pointless to me sometimes… but when I’m with you, it’s different. Being with you, in any capacity… whether it be by your side as Ladybug or… hanging out on your balcony with you as Marinette… nothing else has made me happier for a long time. I just know… I want to be with you. In whatever way you’ll have me, I just want to be with you.”

He waited for her to say something, suddenly feeling very winded. The words had spilt out of him without much thought, but they were raw and honest; he would definitely be taking Plagg’s advice to heart. He stood there in silence, her back still to him, for what seemed like forever. She still had yet to say anything. Dread began to fill Adrien’s stomach like a lead weight, and he swallowed thickly again, breathing hard through his nose as he fought off the stinging feeling that began to burn behind his eyes.

“But…” he started slowly, his voice tight. “I would understand… if you didn’t want me as a partner anymore. If you wanted to find a new partner, I’ll… give up my Miraculous and—”

He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. While he was speaking, Ladybug had whirled around and marched right over to him. He only got to see a glimpse of her face before she suddenly threw her arms around his waist and buried her face into his shoulder in a tight hug. He felt her shoulders shaking and he realized with a pang that she was _crying._

“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice thick and muffled against his shoulder. “I’m sorry I ever made you feel that I didn’t want you as a partner… I’m sorry for pushing you away, I’m sorry for being angry, I’m sorry for never telling you how much I _love_ you. I’m so _sorry_.”

Adrien could only blink and he was sure his heart had stopped. He was finding it very difficult to breathe and process her words; he kept repeating them in his mind before they clicked.

“What did you say?” He said softly, hardly daring to hope. Ladybug pulled away from him, resting her hands on his arms as she stared at their feet, scuffing her toe on the roof.

“I’ve been… so confused these past few months,” she said finally. “Starting to fall for you as Chat Noir, never really getting over you as Adrien… I took the coward’s way out and ran from it, and I… I shut you out in the process. I was… so frustrated with myself and not understanding why I wasn’t happy, and I took that out on you, and I—”

“Did you say you _love_ me?” Adrien interrupted her.

She finally met his gaze, her blue eyes shining with tears. Despite them being slightly bloodshot, they were still dazzling, and he had to remind himself to keep taking breaths.

“I _do,”_ Ladybug said, a small and hopeful smile ghosting on her lips. Then she frowned again. “I understand if… I was so _awful_ to you… and that night at the dance, I—”

“What about you and—” Adrien started, but as if she read his thought, Ladybug answered before he could finish his question.

“I broke up with Luka,” she said softly. He blinked, taken aback. “I… told him that I just needed something a little more… familiar. He’s a wonderful guy, but…”

She trailed off, sliding her hands down his arms until they found his, and she gave them a gentle squeeze. She looked at their hands for a moment before she took a deep breath and finally lifted her head to meet his eyes.

“He isn’t you.” Ladybug finally said.

His heart squeezed tightly in his chest as he took a deep, shuddering breath before it started to beat a mile a minute. He suddenly felt warm all over, his fingers and toes tingling, and he squeezed her hands a little tighter just to make sure that she was actually there and that he wasn’t dreaming.

“You love me?” He asked again, his voice soft. He didn’t even care that it trembled when he spoke.

Ladybug nodded and gave him a tearful smile.

“I love you,” she said earnestly. Then she suddenly looked a little insecure, a small frown marring her features as she asked, “Do… you love me?”

He had practised just what he would say to her if a moment like this ever presented itself. He had written songs, poems, letters, _sonnets_ about all the ways he would have told her how much he loved her. He thought about all the ways he had imagined telling her, how he would say it with _just_ the right intention, the setting they would be in, the gifts he would bring, and they all suddenly seemed meaningless to him. Everything he had planned and practised was _nothing_ compared to the moment that was happening around him now, and he knew there was only one way to convey all the emotion, all the love he had bottled up for her all this time.

He kissed her.

It was soft and gentle, but he poured every ounce of love and adoration he had for her into it, pulled her closer and held her fast so that she would know just how _much_ he cared. It was more than he could put into words. He finally broke away just enough to look at her face, hardly believing that she was _there_ , that this was real, and she seemed to be looking at him the same way. Her eyes searched his for any sign of… something. Like she was looking for his regret or embarrassment. He finally allowed himself to smile and give a small laugh as he brought a gloved hand up to cup her cheek, and she absently brought her hand up to cover his.

“ _Marinette_ ,” he said it like it was an epiphany. Like saying her name confirmed who she was behind the mask, and though he already knew it, the fact that she was still here with him made his heart soar.

“Chat,” she said in response. Her breath hitched for a moment before she finally managed to breathe out, “ _Adrien.”_

He kissed her again, this time with reckless abandon. He couldn’t seem to get her close enough, and she seemed to agree. She clung to him, hands grasping at his shoulders, his arms, fingers in his hair as if she was afraid he would disappear if she didn’t keep touching him. As they kissed, their transformations released around them, and Adrien gratefully brought his hands up to cup Marinette’s face, enjoying the feel of her skin against his hand before he ran his fingers through her hair. He pulled away for just a moment, resting his forehead against hers, the realization of what was happening dawning on him for what seemed like the fifth time.

“My Lady,” he breathed. Then he laughed breathlessly before pressing another kiss to her lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her, spinning her around. “ _Princess._ I love you.”

“I love you, Adrien, _”_ Marinette said through happy tears, wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. “ _Mon minou_.”

Eventually, they found themselves sitting on the Notre Dame, Adrien leaning against a spire and Marinette nestled into his side as they gazed out over the city, admiring the lights of the Eiffel Tower. The kwamis were busy flitting around, chasing each other as the couple talked, Marinette absently playing the fingers on Adrien’s right hand, turning his ring around on his finger.

“I can’t believe you were right in front of me this whole time,” she said.

“Believe me,” Adrien said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve never felt like a bigger idiot than I do now.”

Marinette chuckled. “You know… I thought once that if Adrien weren’t in the picture, I might give Chat Noir a chance.”

“Really?” Adrien said, his eyes wide. Then he groaned. “You mean I was preventing _myself_ from being with you all this time?!”

“I’m afraid so, Minou,” she said lightly, resting her head on his shoulder. “We really had ourselves in quite the star-crossed love story, didn’t we?”

“We did,” he hummed in agreement. After a brief pause, he chuckled and said, “You know, even though I hadn’t really figured it out yet, I would actually get super upset whenever anything got in the way of us spending time together. That time when we were at the park after playing video games in your room? I was pretty mad when the Akuma attacked.”

“When did you… figure it out?” Marinette asked.

“Well…” Adrien blushed slightly. “It was actually… after Luka. When I saw him talking to you after your date, I got this weird feeling in my stomach, but it took me a little while after to realize how _bad_ I had it.”

“Wait…” Marinette said slowly. “You mean—?”

“The night I went to see you as Chat Noir,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “And pretty much… uh…”

“Pinned me against the railing?” Marinette offered idly.

“Okay, you make it sound worse when you say it like that,” he grumbled. He heard Marinette giggle before she reached up and kissed his cheek and he flushed.

“It’s okay,” she said brightly. “That’s… kind of when I started to question things, myself.”

“I’m just… glad it all worked out in the end,” he said, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

“Me, too,” she nestled into his side even more.

They settled into a comfortable silence for a little while longer, simply enjoying being with each other and finally having no secrets between them. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but now that it was out in the open, Adrien knew that they would be able to coordinate whenever Akumas were about to attack, and —

That reminded him.

“Hey…” he said slowly, lifting his cheek from the top of Marinette’s head, and glancing down at her. He frowned slightly. He didn’t know why he was suddenly anxious about it, but he had to make sure. “As far as our partnership goes… we’re going to be okay, right?”

Marinette blinked at him a few times before she smiled and raised her hand for a fist bump, a very Ladybug-like look in her eyes that he knew only too well.

“We _are_ a team, aren’t we?”

Any lingering doubts suddenly vanished with that one simple gesture, and he felt more at peace that he thought he ever had in his whole life. He responded with what he knew was a very Chat Noir-esque grin, chuckling as he connected his first to hers before nuzzling into her cheek.

“ _Unstoppable_.”


End file.
